CPE & Event Calendar

This comprehensive training is designed to get you quickly up to speed with the different types of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). The cornerstone of the course is an in-depth coverage of the contribution and distribution rules to the Traditional, Roth, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs. The course will also discuss the basics of the Health Savings Account (HSA) as well as any newly enacted tax legislation related to IRAs.

One of the most favored employee benefit plans, the 401(k) plan, provides unique challenges for auditors. Through this course, auditors will obtain an understanding of the rules and regulations unique to employee benefit plans and obtain practical guidance on applying them. Auditors will enhance their knowledge of the performance and reporting requirements through real-world examples, best practices, and efficient audit techniques that can be utilized in various audit engagements. Make sure your audits don't trigger a DOL inspection by conforming to all applicable rules and regulations.

The most difficult concepts to master when dealing with flow-through business entities are the basis and distribution concepts. Major error and malpractice issues occur if the CPA does not fully understand the impact of these rules. This course is designed to focus on the practical applications of these rules.

The tax landscape is constantly changing, challenging tax practitioner to stay abreast of these developments. This eight hour program will cover issues unique to business entities, including new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact businesses and individuals. The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

It is the role of a leader to build and maintain a great culture in the organization. The culture is the driving force that shapes the attitudes and behaviors of everyone in the organization. A relationship driven organization is built on trust and is the most effective way to improve productivity, engagement, and the bottom line. Understand the components that enable trust to be created and maintained throughout teams and organizations.

This segment is designed to evaluate Step Five of the new model dealing with recognizing revenue which is the final step in applying the new revenue recognition standard. For performance obligations that are fulfilled at a point in time, revenue is recognized at the fulfillment of the performance obligation. For performance obligations to be satisfied over time, an entity must decide how to appropriately measure the progress and completion of the performance obligation. A performance obligation is satisfied when or as control of the good or service is transferred to the customer. There are several issues companies should consider in applying step 5 of the standard: •   Determining if a Performance Obligation is satisfied over time •   Identifying indicators of transfer of control of good/services •   Utilizing input and output methods to measure progress of revenue recognition •   Understanding stand-ready obligations and how to apply discounts

Both IFRS and IFRS for SMEs are self-contained standards designed to meet the needs of specific financial statement users. This course is designed to explain the differences between the two standards, including disclosure requirements and recognition and measurement principles.

Many tax clients with losses from their S corporations, partnerships, and multiple-member LLCs treated as partnerships will want to use these losses to offset their other income from other sources. This program explains when, why, and how the at-risk rules apply to allow or to prevent the owner of a pass-through entity from taking a loss from a pass-through entity and using it to offset other income. This program is extremely helpful for anyone with pass-through entity clients.

Answering clients' tax questions accurately and on time is a key challenge for tax practitioners. Through simple, plain language explanations and examples, this course will help practitioners perform tax research more efficiently by describing the structure of the primary sources, highlighting the difference between primary and secondary sources, and describing the steps in the tax research process.

Imagine you have one hundred boxes that are all supposed to be full of manufactured inventory. How do you obtain reasonable assurance—now defined as a high level of assurance—that each box is full without opening every one? You begin by assessing risk. If the client has strong internal controls over manufacturing, packing, and transport to the warehouse, there is reasonable assurance the boxes are properly filled. Next, evaluate warehouse security and controls over access, as well as procedures for removing inventory. Once satisfied that controls are both adequate and operating effectively, you can observe and count the boxes and selectively test a sample—ensuring you do not only choose the most accessible ones, as fraud is often concealed within the middle of the inventory. Based on this risk assessment and targeted testing, you can conclude with reasonable assurance that the inventory is properly stated without inspecting every box. This same approach applies to expenses and payroll: evaluate internal controls, observe processes, and perform independent test procedures. Weak internal controls in inventory, expenses, and payroll create opportunities for fraud that may lead to material misstatements. In this session, we will explore how these vulnerabilities arise and how to recognize and address them through effective audit procedures.

This update is essential and designed to assist you in the application of Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARSs) issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Learn about recently issued SSARS Nos. 26 and 27, identify common accounting and reporting issues, and hear about other recent developments. 

Estate planning continues to evolve, and staying informed about the latest trends and strategies is crucial for professionals in the field. This forward-looking course delves into the intricacies of estate planning, with a specific focus on current issues. Participants will explore cutting-edge techniques, emerging legal considerations, and industry developments to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective estate plans that withstand the test of time and safeguard their clients' legacies. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handouts Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com  

This highly informative course comprehensively covers all the latest tax law developments. The focus is on individual taxation and discussion of the planning opportunities practitioners need to understand to help clients respond effectively. You will come away from the course with the up-to-date knowledge to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-saving ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs. This course is continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BFTU.

For roughly 90% of American retirees, Social Security income will be the foundation of their retirement income. Yet, many are ill-prepared and lack understanding of the critical aspects of making an informed claiming decision. Further challenged to separate fact from fiction, consumers crave accurate information from knowledgeable professionals to make the most out of these coveted monthly benefits. This course dispels common myths about Social Security that lead to confusion and replaces them with the truth to an empowered retirement. Help your clients navigate their claiming age decisions with greater confidence, equipped with the essential truths they should consider before pushing the Social Security "on" button.

We are bombarded with information continually. So how do we determine what is valid and what isn't? This course points out common pitfalls inherent in data interpretation and gives practical tips to overcome those pitfalls by using real life examples. The course incorporates information from key thought leaders including Adam Grant, Alex Edmans, and Hans Rosling. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Join us for a comprehensive annual update of promulgations of the FASB and AICPA and will include the latest ASU, SAS and Ethics interpretations.

This course is a comprehensive overview of critical Federal tax law updates resulting from changes to current laws, regulations and court cases impacting all business entity types, including S corporations, Partnerships, C corporations and Sole Proprietorships. We will also review recent modifications to tax forms, small business tax law and administrative updates, retirement plan changes and tax practice and procedures.

This comprehensive training is designed to get you quickly up to speed with the different types of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). The cornerstone of the course is an in-depth coverage of the contribution and distribution rules to the Traditional, Roth, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs. The course will also discuss the basics of the Health Savings Account (HSA) as well as any newly enacted tax legislation related to IRAs.

This case-driven training is designed to get the inexperienced accountant up to speed quickly in the most common areas of S-corporation taxation. The cornerstone of this course is the preparation of the Form 1120S using a fairly complex trial balance common to most S corporation income tax returns.   *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to terri.storer@acpen.com  

Frequently, third parties may request certain financial and nonfinancial information to be verified by the external accountant (often referred to as ";comfort letters"). This course will provide insight into how to respond to requests for comfort in a way that will minimize professional liability risk.